Today In Patriots History June 2, 1995: Montreal Expos draft catcher Tom Brady

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Today in Patriots History
Montreal Expos draft Tom Brady​

May 30, 2012:
The Montreal Expos select Junipero Serra High School standout Tom Brady in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball Draft, the 507th player selected overall. Although he was drafted quite late, the Expos projected Brady as a potential All-Star, and offered him money typical of that offered to a late second-round or early third-round pick. Brady instead followed his passion and went on to attend the University of Michigan, determined to be a football player. In his senior year of high school, Brady was named an all-league catcher after making a transition from first baseman to catcher. Kevin Malone, a former baseball general manager for the Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers, said in an interview that Brady "could have been one of the greatest catchers ever." There was one catch. "His first love was football."

What would have happened if Brady had taken the money rather than go to Michigan? Perhaps there is still a baseball team in Montreal, winner of seven World Series championships? Would fans in New England be like those in Cleveland, Detroit and Arizona, still waiting for their first Lombardi Trophy?

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Tom Brady as a big league catcher? Meet the Expos scout who failed to lure the NFL superstar to baseball

John Hughes had little doubt Tom Brady would make it. Even as a high school kid, Brady was big, strong and had an unusual sense of self. The kid had a real presence no matter where he was or who he was around. From his years scouting the…

www.courant.com

John Hughes had little doubt Tom Brady would make it. Even as a high school kid, Brady was big, strong and had an unusual sense of self. The kid had a real presence no matter where he was or who he was around. From his years scouting the high schools of Northern California, Hughes could immediately tell that Brady was a special athlete.​

But for Hughes, then a scout with the Expos, Brady will always just be the “one that got away” – from him and baseball. Every time Brady, a future NFL Hall of Famer, has quarterbacked the Patriots to the Super Bowl, baseball scouts across the country get back in touch with him. He pulls out some of his hand-written notes about Brady and he has a good time thinking about that summer.​

And he never doubts that Brady would have been a big leaguer.​

“I never had as much fun scouting a player that we eventually didn’t sign,” chuckled Hughes, now an area scout with the Marlins. “We knew we didn’t have a good chance to sign him, because he had the scholarship (to play football for the University of) Michigan.​

Tom Brady becomes last active Montreal Expos draft pick to retire from professional playing career

The 18th-round pick in the 1995 MLB Draft seems to have made the right call in playing football over baseball

www.cbssports.com

How does Brady think things would have played out had he stuck to baseball? "I'd be selling insurance, man. Baseball was not my sport," he said on the Dan Patrick Show last June. There was definitely juice in Brady's bat though. He wrapped a home run around the Pesky Pole at Fenway Park in 2003:​

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Tom Brady was drafted by the Expos 22 years ago: Which Red Sox (and NFL?) stars were taken after him? - MassLive

Interesting list of athletes drafted after Tom Brady in this article, including:
* OF Lawyer Milloy (one round later , #19, by Cleveland)
* Red Sox C David Ross (19th round, Dodgers)
* Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell (20th round, Yankees)
* OF Daunte Culpepper (26th round, Yankees)
* OF/C Michael Bishop (28th round, Cleveland)
* Red Sox OF Pat Burrell (43rd round, Red Sox)
* Red Sox OF Gabe Kapler (57th round, Detroit)

Other NFL players selected in the 1995 MLB Draft:
* QB Chad Hutchinson (1st round, Atlanta)
* RB Ricky Williams (8th round, Philadelphia)
* QB Danny Kannell (25th round, Yankees)

 

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Today in Patriots History
Bill Bates​

June 2, 1961:
Boston Patriots hire William T "Bill" Bates as the team's trainer.

Bates had previously worked as a trainer in Philadelphia with both their NBA and NFL teams, and would later return to basketball and become the Milwaukee Bucks' trainer.

1964 Boston Patriots Media Guide

BOSTON PATRIOTS

There is a strong suspicion that the most valuable member of the Patriots last season was Bill Bates. Bates does not run, pass, kick, block or tackle. He

vault.si.com

Sports Illustrated Sept 12, 1966

There is a strong suspicion that the most valuable member of the Patriots last season was Bill Bates. Bates does not run, pass, kick, block or tackle. He tapes. As the team trainer, Bates taped the Patriots to a 4-8-2 record, worst in Boston history. But, in retrospect, it is difficult to understand how he and the team did that well.​

Due to injuries, Boston played much of the year without its only experienced running back (Larry Garron), its best pass receiver (Art Graham), an All-League linebacker (Tom Addison), a starting offensive guard (Charlie Long) and a starting corner back (Tom Hennessey). Graham had tendonitis, which is unusual enough. But Addison and Long were affected all year by early-season cases of mumps. Not even Bates had the answer to that.​

Sept 1, 1968: Bill Bates guides Larry Eisenhauer, Houston Antwine and Ed Philpott in a training exercise​

Jan 21, 1966:
Some Have No Regards For Players

For the past five years, Bill Bates has been the trainer of the Boston Patriots. He has seen dozens of rookies from every section of the country.​

His observations are extremely candid.​

"There are just some teams that have no regards for the players," said Bates. "And that means college and pro.​

"There's one eastern school that has sent us so many players with bad knees that we couldn't even take them to pre-season practice.​

"We had one ballplayer from this school who told me he accompanied his team on a road trip although his knee was actually in a cast. They sent him to a hospital, drained his knee, shot him with novocain and he played. He never made it with us, and the fact that he had knee trouble was a key factor.​

"The whole thing is really a personal matter for the trainers and teams involved. I'll tell you one thing though. I've been with the Patriots for five years now and in that time I've never indiscriminately shot a player.​

“When guys have bruises a lot of clubs will shoot the affected spot, but ’when it’s a serious, thing or something that might become serious, we just don’t do it at Boston.​

“Personally, I’m a physical therapist and I’m not going to jeopardize my career.​

“That goes for the pep pills, drugs- or anything of this nature.​

“Pep pills and other drugs are potentially harmful from the standpoint that a player might suffer an injury, say a head injury. If he is hurt badly, a trainer or doctor might not be able to diagnose the injury as quickly because the player has taken pills which obscure the usual symptoms.​

"On the Patriots, I do not give out pep pills. But the players, get them. They can be purchased by prescription.​

“The only thing I can do is warn them.’’​

But professional football players earn a living With their bodies.​

Collegians are just supposed to be earning an education—with "or without their bodies.​

Sept 22, 1970: Gino Cappelletti and Bill Bates try to beat the summer heat​

1969 Boston Patriots Media Guide

 

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Today in Patriots History
Harvard Stadium​

June 2, 1970:
After more than a year of back-and-forth discussions, innuendos and rumors - and a mere three months before the start of the regular season - Harvard University agreed to let the Boston Patriots use Harvard Stadium for their home football games. At this late date people were openly discussing the genuine possibility that the Pats could play every game on the road, or perhaps play their "home" games in Birmingham, Jacksonville or Tampa.

The Patriots had played at Harvard previously. The team opened the 1962 season with a 34-21 victory over the Houston Oilers at Harvard, then played the remainder of their home games that year at Boston University. Many at Harvard looked down their noses at the Patriots, and considered their stadium to be too high class to be sullied by professional sports, especially the Patriots. But at the same time they didn't want to come across as the local bully, villain and bad neighbor. For example, in a 1967 preseason exhibition game, the Pats agreed to have some of the proceeds go to a charity - and there was no way that Harvard would consider saying no in this case to the catholic church.

Harvard's public stance was that if they were to allow the Patriots to use their stadium, then city and state officials would not feel any sense of urgency to come to an agreement with the Pats on building a new stadium. That argument seemed to be moot when Billy Sullivan announced that the Patriots would be moving to Foxboro. However, when the Pats initially came back to Harvard and asked if they could use their stadium for one year, the school balked at the notion, stating that they were not confident that Sullivan would be able to put together financing for his new stadium. Even when that hurdle was overcome, some at Harvard then returned to the original argument that this professional sports team playing at their grand old stadium was a thought too odious to consider.



July 14, 1967:

Patriots to Play Two NFL Teams At Harvard Stadium this Summer | News | The Harvard Crimson

The Boston Patriots will play two exhibition football games in Harvard Stadium this August. The Patriots will clash with the

www.thecrimson.com

The Patriots will clash with the Baltimore Colts. Aug. 13, for the Ecumenical Charities of Richard Cardinal Cushing. On Aug. 26 the Patriots tackle the Washington Redskins for former Harvard Overseer Ralph Lowell's Order of the Shriners.​

In a letter to Cardinal Cushing, President Pusey repeated Harvard's reluctance to have the Stadium used for professional athletics, but said that "we give our permission in the present instance out of respect for your position in the community and for your leadership of social and religious causes. We recognize the larger issue here of attempting in some measure to serve the community and to help the charities in which you and Mr. Lowell are interested."​

Although the charities involved will pay Harvard nothing for the actual use of the stadium, they will pay all of the stadium's operating costs for the two exhibition games.​

The Patriots have played in Harvard Stadium only twice before.​

May 2, 1969:

Harvard Denies Reports Patriots Will Use Stadium | News | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard officials yesterday denied reports that the University has agreed to let the Boston Patriots play in Harvard Stadium. "The

www.thecrimson.com

"The Patriots have not talked directly to Harvard University for over a year, although there have been third-party conversations," said Charles P. Whitlock, assistant to the President for Civic and Governmental Relations. Nothing came of the third party talks, he said.​

Whitlock's statement was a denial of reports arising from Wednesday's announcement by Patriots President William H. Sullivan, Jr., that the club would play its 1969 season in Boston--but in a stadium other than the club's current home at Fenway Park.​

While Sullivan had refused to name the stadium, virtually all observers took it to be Harvard Stadium--the only other park in the Boston area with a capacity for major league football, and one which the Patriots have sought, off and on, for over ten years as a "temporary" home until a new stadium is constructed for them.​

Harvard has always refused the requests, arguing, as did the Wilson Committee in its report of last January, that allowing the Patriots to come "temporarily" into Harvard Stadium will only impede progress toward constructing a permanent sports stadium in Boston.​

In the past, whenever the Patriots have let it be known that they will leave Boston unless a new stadium is built, local officials and "concerned citizens" have quickly come up with a plan for a new stadium. The plans, however, have always been weak on the financing side--i.e. in determining how the deficit on the stadium will be met--and consequent opposition has always killed them.​

The latest proposal--for a stadium in the South Station area, to be financed by receipts from a new toll road and tunnel--is believed to be fiscally more sound than previous plans, and may have a fair chance of being approved by the legislature.​

Yesterday, Whitlock and other Harvard officials refused to say whether Harvard would reconsider its stand on a temporary Patriot's home in Harvard Stadium if the legislature adopted a concrete plan for a new stadium, but recent statements by Boston Mayor Kevin White and BRA Director Hale Champion indicate that the University might take a new look at the situation after the legislature has acted.​

NFL's Boston Patriots Spent A Year in Harvard Stadium | News | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard Stadium is not only the site of countless Crimson victories on the gridiron, it is the answer to a

www.thecrimson.com

The Boston Patriots contacted Harvard athletic officials about using the stadium for the 1970 season while their current home in Foxboro was being built.​

Harvard initially balked at the request but eventually granted the team the right to play at the stadium, albeit with several conditions, according to Patriots officials.​

"I remember it was very hard getting Harvard to approve the use of the facility. There was serious opposition to having a pro franchise there. Eventually one member of the Board of Trustees said it was worthwhile," says Patrick Sullivan, whose father Bill owned the Patriots from 1960 until 1988.​

Patrick Sullivan, who now is the owner of Game Creek Video, says Harvard agreed to host the Patriots on the condition that the Patriots play at the Stadium for one year only.​

Harvard further demanded that the team replace the field at the end of the season, Sullivan says.​

 

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Those 1970 Boston Patriots were not a good team at all, as any old-timer who ever attended a game at Harvard Stadium will attest.

Lousy drafts, lousy coaches, and a lousy owner resulted in a lousy roster and a lousy games for fans to watch.

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Never Too Cold by Bob Bayley | The Patriots Hall of Fame

www.patriotshalloffame.com

My favorite memory? There are too many memories from which to choose. Was it my first pro game at Boston University Field? Our wonderful seats at Fenway Park? The wooden benches at Boston College? Traffic for the first game as the New England Patriots in the first game at Schaefer Stadium? Meeting John Unitas after a preseason game? Gino Cappelletti catching touchdowns and then kicking the extra points? A night game at Fenway Park against the Raiders? A rain storm at B.C. that put two inches of water onto the field and provided the stage for an impromptu fan halftime show? Nope!​

Nothing compares to sitting in Harvard Stadium the day after a typical New England snowstorm; learning that it was too cold for Patriots quarterback Joe Kapp, who threw three interceptions in a 35-14 loss in 1970. He had played for the opponent – the Vikings in freezing Minnesota as well as in the Canadian Football League. Too cold? Not for the fans! Bring on that sorry excuse of “Mother Nature.” True Patriot fans were there to support their beloved Patriots, the Boston Patriots!​

*Editor’s Note… we did not confirm the reader’s account that Joe Kapp expressed concern about the cold nor we do validate its accuracy. But we appreciate his list of memories and his own willingness to sit in the arctic weather at Harvard Stadium that afternoon against the Vikings the day after a snow storm. We were able to confirm the weather. For the record, Kapp completed 15 of 29 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the Patriots first ever meeting with the Vikings on Dec. 13, 1970 in the final home game as the Boston Patriots. The team was renamed the New England Patriots upon moving Foxborough for the 1971 season.​

1970 Boston Patriots season - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The 1970 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League and eleventh overall. They ended the season with a record of two wins and twelve losses, fifth (last) in the AFC East Division.

This was the final season as the “Boston” Patriots, as they moved southwest to Foxborough, Massachusetts the next season and became the “New England” Patriots. The final season as Boston did not go as planned, as the Patriots struggled all season and finished 2–12, the worst record in the NFL. Home games in 1970 were played at Harvard Stadium, their fourth home venue and third in as many seasons.

After taking the season opener at home from the Miami Dolphins, Boston lost nine in a row before beating the Buffalo Bills on the road. The season concluded with an embarrassing 45–7 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati.

Head coach Clive Rush, age 39, quit midway through the season because of medical reasons, with Boston's record at 1–6. His replacement, offensive backfield coach John Mazur, did not do much better of a job, but he continued as head coach the next season. The Patriots scored the fewest points in the league in 1970 with 149, and allowed 361; they missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Despite being a Super Bowl quarterback, no NFL team made contact with 32-year-old Joe Kapp until after the start of the regular season. Prior to the 1969 season, the Minnesota Vikings had exercised the option clause of his contract, so Kapp had played the entire season without a new contract. It was unusual for teams to use the team's option and not to offer a new contract prior to a season. This dispute made him a free agent for the 1970 season, by the NFL's own rules. The Patriots signed him on October 2 to a four-year contract, making him the highest paid player in the league. The Patriots had to give up strong safety John Charles and a first-round draft pick in 1972 (used to select Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon). Kapp's first appearance was on October 11 at Kansas City, relieving starter Mike Taliaferro in the third quarter of a 23–10 loss to the team which manhandled Kapp and the Vikings in the Super Bowl nine months prior.

November losses vs. the Buffalo Bills (45–10) and St. Louis Cardinals (31–0) marked the last time the Patriots were beaten by 30 or more points in consecutive games until 2023.

The Vikings paid Kapp back in full in week 13, rolling to a 35–14 victory in the Patriots' final game at Harvard and in Boston prior to the move to Foxborough.

The Patriots' poor record was the worst in the 26-team league, but gave them the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL draft. They took quarterback Jim Plunkett, the Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford, upset winner of the Rose Bowl.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The 1971 Draft​

June 2, 1971:
The New England Patriots sign four of their draft picks:
LB Tim Kelly, a 5th round pick from Notre Dame;
OT Layne McDowell, a 10th round pick from Iowa;
OT John Rodman, a 12th round pick from Northwestern;
DB Jim Zikmund, a 15th round pick from Nebraska-Kearney

None of these four ever played in the NFL.

The Patriots made the obvious choice by selecting Jim Plunkett with the first overall pick of the 1971 draft, and made a great choice with Texas Southern DE Julius Adams at the top of the second round. But after that there were only two more players from this 17-round draft that ever made it on to an NFL roster that the Patriots drafted: Tulsa FB Josh Ashton, selected in the 9th round (38 games, 20 start with the Pats from 1972-74) and Florida A&M WR Alfred Sykes, taken in the 14th round (four games in his entire career, with one reception for 15 yards).

The Patriots should have been building a supporting cast for Plunkett, but that didn't happen. Part of the problem was that the new GM, Upton Bell, was not hired until after the 1971 draft, which took place on January 28-29. Their 3rd and 7th round picks had been traded away in 1970 for over-the-hill DE Ike Lassiter, who retired after the '71 season. The 4th round pick had been traded away in 1970 as well, for oft-injured K Charlie Gogolak. The 5th and 6th round picks (Kelly and Kentucky TE David Hardt) never played in the NFL. The 8th round pick had been traded away in 1969 for another short-time fix, 31-year old DE Ray Jacobs, who retired the following offseason.

The panic trading looking for a quick fix in the post-Holovak years by head coaches Clive Rush and John Mazur, and GM George Sauer was completely irresponsible and terribly short sighted. The end result was Plunkett getting unmercifully beat up every time he took the field, with bruises he surely still feels to this day. While the Plunkett and Adams selections were great, overall this draft stunk, thanks in large part to terrible decision making in previous years. But even with the bad hand they'd been dealt, there were other offensive tackles taken in the 5th and 6th rounds that became long time solid starters (Pittsburgh's Larry Brown, Buffalo's Donnie Green, Cleveland's Doug Dieken), all of whom would have made much more sense than LB Tim Kelly or TE David Hardt.

 

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Today in Patriots History
1980s June 2 Trivia​

June 2, 1982:
WR Harold Jackson is released


In 1978 the Patriots traded two draft picks for Jackson, to fill the void left by the career-ending injury to Daryl Stingley. Although he was considered by some to be past his prime and only a short term solution at the age of 32, Jackson averaged 20.3 yards receptions over four seasons with the Patriots, with 156 catches for 3,162 yards and 18 touchdowns. He and Stanley Morgan formed an exciting wide receiver duo to compliment a backfield that set the NFL record for rushing yardage in 1978.


Jackson had eight 100-yard games as a Patriot, the best being 147 yards in a 1979 27-23 week 16 victory over the Vikings. He also excelled against the Jets: three touchdown receptions for 121 yards in a 1979 56-3 week two annihilation of gang green, and five receptions for 118 yards with two TD in a 1978 week nine 55-21 blowout win against the jete. At the time he ranked fourth in franchise history in receiving yards, and seventh in receiving touchdowns, despite only being in New England for the final four seasons of his career.


Harold Jackson led the NFL in receptions, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns in the seventies, yet was never voted into the pro football hall of fame. He had 29 100-yard games and ranked second in all-time receiving yardage at the time of his retirement.

1981 Patriots Media Guide, Page 39

One of the NFL's all-time great receivers, Harold continues to rewrite the record books . . . the top active receiver in the NFL, Harold became the third all-time reception yardage leader in NFL history last season . . . he moved ahead of his receiver coach, Raymond Berry, on that list with his top performance of the year, six receptions for 127 yards and a TD against Berry's former team, Baltimore (10-19) . . . Harold now ranks behind only Don Maynard (11,834 yards) and Lance Alworth (10,226 yards) with his 9,577 career receiving yards . . . his 532 career receptions rates as the seventh best career total in NFL history . . . he has 28 100-yard receiving games in his career, the fourth best mark in NFL history . . .​

Harold was the Patriots' third leading receiver in 1980, catching 35 passes for 737 yards and five TDs . . . since joining the Patriots on 8-16-78 in a trade that sent two draft choices to Los Angeles (Patriots' third in '79 and fourth in '80), he has caught 117 passes for 2493 yards (21.3 avg.) and 18 TDs while starting 47 of 48 games . . . when the Patriots opened their game at Houston on 11-10-80 with a double TE formation, Harold had his 167 consecutive game starting streak snapped, although he only missed the game's first play . . . caught his 500th career reception in style against Cleveland in the 1980 season opener as he hauled in a ten yard TD pass . . . during his 13 year career, he has made five Pro Bowl appearances (following '69, '72, '73, '75 and '77 seasons) . . .​

Harold became one of the first players in club history to achieve a 1,000 yard receiving season and topped the club in receiving with 45 catches for 1,013 yards and seven TDs in 1979 . . . he went over the 1,000 yard mark in the season finale vs. Minnesota (12-16-79) when he grabbed a 43 yard pass from Steve Grogan late in the final stanza . . . joined Stanley Morgan on the same day in achieving that club first . . .​

Receiver Coach Raymond Berry says "Harold is an amazing athlete and his trademarks of durability and consistency are revealed by his career statistics. He's an explosive player who can break a game open." . . . he did just that by catching three passes vs. the New York Jets (9-9-79), all for TDs (49, 44, 28) that helped engineer a record setting 56-3 Patriot win . . . it was his third 1,000 yard receiving campaign as he led the NFL in receiving in both 1969 (1,116 yards) and 1972 (1,048 yards) while at Philadelphia with a 22.5 yards reception average in '79, he ranked only second to Morgan (22.8) in the entire NFL while finishing tenth in the NFL for reception yardage . . .​

Harold was the NFL leader in receptions during 1972 with 62 catches and topped the league the following year with a 21.9 yard reception average . . . had his best day as a Ram receiver when he caught 8 passes for 127 yards and 2 TDs vs. New Orleans in 1977 . . . while with Philadelphia, snagged a single game career high of nine receptions vs. Dallas in 1972 . . . Harold has achieved his standout career while playing with three NFL clubs . . . originally the 12th round pick of the Rams in 1968, he was active in just two games while spending time on the cab squad . . . the following year, he was traded to Philadelphia on 7-7-69 with DE John Zook for Eagle Israel Lang . . . he returned to the Rams in another trade on 6-8-73 with RB Tony Baker and several draft choices that sent QB Roman Gabriel to Philly . . . shares the distinction of playing the most pro seasons on the Patriots along with OC Bill Lenkaitis.​

COLLEGE: Clocked at 9.3 in the 100 yard dash, Harold set a school receiving record as a senior at Jackson State, a school that has produced many outstanding NFL players.​

PERSONAL: Single . . . dubbed "Hollywood" by teammates, having appeared in small roles in several motion pictures . . . the personable vet spent the past off-season travelling throughout the country making speaking appearances . . . enjoys working with youth groups . . . lives in Los Angeles during the off-season and sells real estate . . . includes golf and tennis among his hobbies.​

Where are they now: Harold Jackson - National Football Post

Ken Crippen catches up with the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.

www.nationalfootballpost.com

Where are they now? WR Harold Jackson

With his résumé, Jackson is one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history to not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

www.philadelphiaeagles.com

Harold Jackson - Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

Harold Jackson

msfame.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
1980s June 2 Trivia​

June 2, 1983:
The Patriots sign their first round draft pick, Illinois QB Tony Eason


In 1984 Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason IV threw 23 TD versus eight picks, in his first full season as the Pats starter. He led the league with the lowest interception percentage, but that was due largely in part to holding onto the ball too long: he also led the NFL with 59 sacks. Eason had an awful start to the '85 season, throwing 4 TD versus 11 picks, and was a main reason the Pats stumbled to a 2-3 start. The turning point of a week 5 loss to Cleveland came when Eason and the Pats offense were unable to score after having a first and goal from the four-yard line.


Raymond Berry benched Eason, and the team responded positively to the return of Steve Grogan with six straight wins. Then Grogan suffered a broken leg in a week 12 loss at the Jets, forcing Eason to start once again. He came through in his first start in seven weeks by going 20-28 for 293 yards and three TD in a critical win at Indy - but threw three picks two weeks later in a loss at Miami. The Patriots finished the season with an 11-5 record; one game behind Miami, but good enough to win the tiebreaker as a wildcard.


That postseason the Patriots went on to win three road games, culminating in the famous Squish the Fish game. The Pats won primarily with defense and special teams, never having to rely on the passing game. Eason did what he was asked (5 TD, no picks) while going 29/42 for 367 yards total in those three games.


Of course next up were the Bears and their 46 defense, where Eason infamously went 0-6 before being replaced by Grogan. He rebounded to perform well the following season, finishing 4th in passer rating (89.2), completion percentage (61.6%), and in the top ten in touchdowns, passing yards, touchdown pass %, yards per pass attempt, comebacks, and game-winning drives - and finishing sixth in the league's MVP voting. However, Eason would start just eight games over the next three seasons for the Pats before being released after refusing to take a pay cut in midseason in 1989. He was claimed off waivers by the Jets, spending a year and a half in obscurity holding a clipboard. Eason became a free agent in the spring of 1991, and drew no interest from any NFL teams - thus ending his pro football career at the age of 31.


Tony Eason threw for 10,732 yards and 60 touchdowns over seven seasons in New England, appearing in 72 games with 49 starts. Never the fan favorite that Grogan was, Eason is mostly remembered for three things: that beating by Chicago in Super Bowl 20; being the quarterback drafted immediately after Jim Kelly; and being the QB the Pats chose instead of Dan Marino.

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Tony Eason | sactosports-hof

www.sacsportshof.com

Tony Eason was a dynamic and gifted quarterback from Delta High School in Clarksburg. He played two years at American River College and then transferred to the University of Illinois. In his debut season, he led the Big Ten in passing efficiency and total offense and set nine conference records; including records for total offense, completions, passing yardage, and passing touchdowns. He was also named the All Big 10 quarterback for the Associated Press.​

As a senior, Tony accumulated a school record 3,671 passing yards and led the Illini to its first appearance in a bowl games since 1964. He also broke five NCAA passing records and tied four more. The NCAA records he set included: most total yards per game in a career, most passing yards per game in a career, most completions per game in a career, and most total yards in first two seasons. Tony still holds eight school records.​

June 8, 2006:

Tony Eason

i seee that majority of fans are 'against' him and i think he knows it as he missed the last year 'parade' 1985 Super Bowl team @ Gillette if i remember correctly but...don't you think he should deserve a little bit more from us, Patriot fans ? personally i respect him and it is a petty...

www.patsfans.com

Sept 15, 2018:

Days Of Future Pats Of The Past: Tony Eason still angry, upset

fox/tvseries/fringe/alternateuniverse/football 14 September, 2018/SACRAMENTO, CA (AP)-Today, the New England Patriots are the National Football League's flagship franchise, with ten Super Bowl titles and recognized as the premier athletic organization in sports...It seems millennia ago, but...

www.patsfans.com

Tony Eason Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Tony Eason Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Tony Eason Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Tony Eason. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Tony Eason - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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Today in Patriots History
1990s June 2 Trivia​

June 2, 1993:
Center Gene Chilton is released

Chilton was a third round 1986 draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, from Texas. The Patriots claimed him off waivers from Kansas City on September 4, 1990, but he spent most of that season on injured reserve. Chilton started all 32 games for **** MacPherson's 1991-92 Patriots, then was let go as part of the housecleaning when Bill Parcells was hired, ending his pro football career at the age of 28.

The Sporting News (above) seemed to appreciate Chilton much more than Parcells did. By comparison, here are their scores for 1991 MVP Thurman Thomas, and 1991 First Team All Pro center Kent Hull. I would have expected more of a difference.

June 2, 1994:
The Pats sign their 2nd round draft pick, Alabama WR Kevin Lee, and waived center Bill Lewis

Bill Lewis' claim to fame is being charged with two fumbles on snaps in a 1993 week one loss to Buffalo - resulting in his stat line for the day consisting of two fumbles for a loss of 43 yards.


As for Kevin Lee, this draft pick was rather odd to me, as Bama was never known for their passing game. Lee was a junior when the Tide won the national championship, with 21 receptions for 286 yards and one TD. As a senior he upped his stats to 510 yards on 26 yards, still with only one TD.

That placed him 128th nationwide in receiving yards.


Kevin Lee spent the 1994 season on injured reserve with a broken jaw and then played in seven games with two starts in 1995, catching eight passes for 107 yards. In 1996, Lee played in two games with the San Francisco 49ers after being waived by the Patriots during training camp. With the Fire, he made 18 receptions for 237 yards (13.2-yard average) and two touchdowns in 10 games. He was waived in the St. Louis Rams' training camp in 1997 and spent the spring of 1998 with the World Bowl champion Rhein Fire in NFL Europe, where he made 18 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. The Jaguars signed him in the '98 offseason but he didn't make their roster either.

A genuinely wasted early draft pick.


As an aside, when the Pats signed Lee, he became the tenth and final draft pick to sign. With that the Patriots had signed all of their picks within 38 days, the shortest period of time ever prior to the current CBA salary-slotting of draft picks. In the following year, for example, the first to sign were 4th round center Dave Wohlabaugh and 7th round DB Carlos Yancy on June 26, then sixth rounder Dino Phylaw on July 10. The rest of the draft picks - CB Jimmy Hitchcock, RB Curtis Martin, LB Ted Johnson and CB Ty Law - did not sign until the two days before training camp opened on July 20 at Bryant College.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
June 2 News from the Aughts​

June 2, 2000:
Alexander Wright is hired as a personnel scout

Wright would quit his job because he didn't like the constant travel, and 'wanted to put down roots', saying “I never thought I’d wind up in any of these places.”

Fast Track

He ain't the biggest waste of talent in NFL history. But he is the fastest. At this point in his afterlife, Alexander Wright was supposed to be kicking back and cashing in on a star-studded career adorned with Super Bowl rings and supersonic highlights. The NFL's fastest player in the...

www.dallasobserver.com

The NFL’s fastest player in the early 1990s and the zesty spice to a Dallas Cowboys offense surging into dynasty behind four future Hall of Famers, Wright faced a path to fame and fortune paved with simple tasks like running precise routes and–uh-oh–catching the football.​

“I didn’t accomplish my goals,” Wright says. “No Super Bowl rings. No Pro Bowls. I thought I’d be a lot more productive. It’s still disappointing. You try to forget it and learn from it and move on, but, yeah, it bothers me.”​

The sad, simple truth: Alexander Wright played football, but he was never a football player. You could tell by the way he ran like Secretariat and caught like Mr. Ed.​

“I can’t argue with that,” Wright admits with a boyish, contagious giggle that belies his underlying disappointment. “I was never a polished package.”​

The Cowboys selected Wright with the 26th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, an aerial complement to co-rookie Smith’s running. In an offensive philosophy built around Aikman, Irvin, Smith and future lineman anchor Larry Allen, Wright’s job requirements were minimal, almost remedial.​

Run. Fast. Catch.​

In ’90 and ’91, Wright won the NFL’s Fastest Man competition, and in May ’91–swear–he clocked consecutive 40-yard dashes of 4.14 and 4.09 seconds on the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch track.​

June 2, 2002:
Keith Kidd is hired to the personnel department as the assistant director of pro scouting

Since 2014 he has been the Director of Player Personnel at Eastern Kentucky, where he began his career as a grad assistant and his father Roy Kidd was the Colonels coach from 1964 to 2002, winning Division I-AA Football Championships in 1979 and 1982, and runners-up in 1980 and 1981.

Keith Kidd - Football Coach - Eastern Kentucky University Athletics

Keith Kidd, a long-time pro personnel director in the NFL and son of legendary Eastern Kentucky University football coach Roy Kidd, joined the current EKU football

ekusports.com

Keith Kidd, a long-time pro personnel director in the NFL and son of legendary Eastern Kentucky University football coach Roy Kidd, joined the current EKU football staff as the Director of Football Relations in the spring of 2014.​

Kidd worked 18 years in the NFL with four teams – the Arizona Cardinals (1991-99), Cleveland Browns (1999-2002), New England Patriots (2002-05) and Denver Broncos (2009-13). He also spent three seasons as an NFL analyst for ESPN's scouting organization, Scouts Inc., and wrote columns for ESPN.com. In his most recent stop, Kidd was the director of pro personnel for the Broncos. He began his professional career as a graduate assistant at EKU in 1987 and moved on to Arizona State University (1989-91) as a graduate assistant coach under former EKU quarterback Larry Marmie.​

June 2, 2004:
Unrestricted veteran free agent TE Fred Baxter departs, signing with Washington

Fred Baxter was 31 when he signed on with the Patriots for the final game of 2002. The following year he played in twelve games, on special teams and as a blocking tight end. Over twelve NFL seasons Baxter played in 134 games with 50 starts (mostly for the Jets, also with the Bears), with 100 receptions and 12 touchdowns. He is now a youth minister and golf coach at the Camden (NJ) Health & Athletic Association.

June 2, 2006:
The Patriots waive safety Keon Jackson

Jackson waived

The Patriots waived rookie free agent safety Keon Jackson (Toledo).

www.boston.com

The Patriots waived rookie safety Keon Jackson today. Jackson, who played in college at Toledo, was originally signed May 8. He was a longshot to make the roster.​

The 23-year-old Jackson (5-foot-11, 206 pounds) played strong safety and was a four-year starter at Toledo. He totaled 283 career tackles and 10 interceptions, and was a first team All-Mid American Conference selection as a senior in 2005.​

The Patriots now have the following safeties on the roster:​

Rodney Harrison​

Artrell Hawkins​

Jarvis Herring​

Tebucky Jones​

Mel Mitchell​

James Sanders​

Guss Scott​

Ray Ventrone​

Eugene Wilson​

Randall Gay and Chad Scott, natural cornerbacks, have also lined up at the position.​

June 2, 2008:
New England signs Oliver Ross

Ross would be waived on October 28 - without ever playing a game with the Patriots - after being placed on NFI on August 30.

Patriots agree with OT Ross

The Patriots bolster the depth on their offensive line by agreeing to contract terms with veteran tackle Oliver Ross.

www.boston.com

The Patriots bolstered the depth on their offensive line today by agreeing to contract terms with free-agent tackle Oliver Ross. The team announced the official signing this afternoon.​

The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Ross has played in 89 games with 53 career starts. He has spent time with the Cowboys (1998), Eagles (1999), Steelers (2000-2004) and Cardinals (2005-2007). The most productive stretch of his career came with the Steelers, where he was part of some mauling offensive lines that helped Pittsburgh annually rate as one of the league’s best running clubs.​

The 33-year-old Ross has been limited by injuries at times over his career. Most recently, he missed last season after he was placed on injured reserve in August with a torn left triceps.​

As for how Ross fits in New England, he has experience at both left and right tackle positions, with the right side his most natural spot. The Patriots have Matt Light returning as their starting left tackle and Nick Kaczur as their starting right tackle (he also swings to the left side).​

Third-year man Ryan O’Callaghan was the team’s top backup tackle last year; he’s strictly a right tackle. Swing tackle Wesley Britt is fourth on the depth chart.​

So Ross adds another layer of depth at the position for the Patriots, who did not select an offensive lineman in the draft.​

Patriots release OL Oliver Ross

The New England Patriots released veteran offensive lineman Oliver Ross today. Ross was signed by the Patriots as a veteran free agent on June 2, 2008.

www.patriots.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Steve Cargile​

Happy 44th birthday to Steve Cargile
Born June 2, 1982 in Cleveland
Patriots scouting department
Hired in February, 2011 as a scouting assistant
Pats résumé: 13 seasons as part of the Patriots scouting staff; three seasons as Pro Scouting Director
Three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots

Cargile defies the odds
July 10, 2017 2:24 News Segment
​

May 6, 2021:

Patriots promote 3 within their scouting department

Patriots promote three within their scouting department

www.milforddailynews.com

According to Neil Stratton of InsideTheLeague.com, the Patriots are promoting Matt Groh, a former national scout, to director of college scouting. They’re also promoting former pro scout Steve Cargile to director of pro scouting and former area scout Camren Williams to national scout.​

Cargile also has been with the Patriots for 10 seasons. He spent the past nine seasons as a pro scout after joining the team in 2011 as a scouting assistant. He was named the 2016 AFC Scout of the Year by the Fritz Pollard Alliance. Cargile played in the NFL as a safety from 2004 to 2009, suiting up for Tampa Bay, Denver, Cleveland and the New York Giants.​

2023 Patriots Media Guide







​

Two Patriots front office members won't return in 2024 | Sporting News

Changes are already happening under Eliot Wolf.

www.sportingnews.com

The New England Patriots officially named Eliot Wolf the team's executive vice president of player personnel on Saturday, and there are already changes coming to the front office under him.​

​

According to Inside the League's Neil Stratton, Patriots director of pro scouting Steve Cargile and area scout Taylor Redd will not be back with the team for the 2024 season.​

Cargile, 41, is a former NFL safety who joined the Patriots front office in 2011 and took on the role of pro scouting director in 2021.​

​

Redd joined New England's staff back in 2018 as a scouting assistant. He had been serving as an area scout for the last four seasons.​

​

With Wolf taking over, it wouldn't be surprising to see more changes follow before the start of the 2024 campaign.​

July 2, 2024:
Nick Caserio hires a former Patriot, promotes a former Patriot, and dumps another former Patriot:

Texans hire ex-Patriots exec Steve Cargile as senior personnel executive, promote DJ Debick to director of pro scouting

Texans add to personnel department

www.click2houston.com

The Texans hired former New England Patriots director of pro scouting Steve Cargile as a senior personnel executive and assistant director of pro scouting.​

The Texans promoted DJ Debick to director of pro scouting as the replacement for former director of pro scouting Ronnie McGill, whose contract had expired and wasn’t renewed, per league sources.​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Dell Pettus​

Happy 25th birthday to Dell Pettus
Born June 2, 2001 in Harvest, Alabama
Patriots special teamer/safety, 2024-present; uniform #24 (#34 in 2024 preseason)
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent from Troy on April 28, 2024
Pats résumé: two seasons, all 34 games (one start);
54 tackles, four pass deflections, two sacks; four postseason games


Dell Pettus has only been in the NFL for two seasons, but he has already played in more games for the Patriots than any other player in the history of the franchise that was born on this date. In fact, he is the only one to have ever played in more than one single game with the Pats that was born on June 2.

​

Pettus made the roster and played in every game for the Pats in 2024. He saw his most action in a week five 15-10 home loss to Miami. In his only start, Pettus set season-highs with nine tackles (five solo) and 54 defensive snaps. Over the course of the season Pettus had 34 tackles (19 solo), one sack, one tackle for a loss, one QB hit and two passes defensed. Overall he was on the field for 341 snaps on defense (31%) and 231 on special teams (53%). Opponents completed 64.3% of passes thrown his way (9-14) for 87 yards (48 through the air, 39 YAC) an average of 6.2 yards per attempt, 9.7 yards per completion and a passer rating of 81.5.

Last year Pettus' playing time on defense went down from 341 snaps to 110 (11%), while his time on special teams grew from 231 snaps to 320 (73%). He also played in all four postseason games, with nine tackles and one pass defensed.

Johnson's Journal - Dell Pettus’ Long Climb Lands on Football’s Biggest Stage - Troy University Athletics

Dell Pettus, a former Troy University standout safety and current member of the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots, never takes for granted the journey he...

troytrojans.com

May 10, 2024:

Patriots Sign Three of Their Eight 2024 Draft Picks and Sign Nine Rookie Free Agents

The New England Patriots announced today the signing of three of their eight 2024 draft selections and nine rookie free agents.

www.patriots.com

Pettus, 22, spent five seasons at Troy (2019-23) and finished his career with 61 consecutive starts at safety. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder, played in a total of 62 games during his college career and finished with 310 total tackles. Last season, he finished with 74 total tackles in 14 games.​

1:32 video on Patriots.com:

Allow Me to Introduce Myself | Dell Pettus

Patriots safety Dell Pettus introduces himself and talks about his extreme distaste for cheese. Well...except for the one food he does enjoy with cheese.

www.patriots.com

Dell Pettus' Path From Troy University to the New England Patriots | The Journey
3:01 video produced by the New England Patriots

Dell Pettus Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Dell Pettus Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Dell Pettus Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Dell Pettus. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Dell Pettus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
A Replacement Player​

As mentioned above, there are not many Patriot birthdays to celebrate today; this one is a replacement player

Happy 65th birthday to Clay Pickering
Born June 2, 1961 in Jacksonville, Florida; hometown Brunswick, Ohio
Patriots wide receiver, 1987; uniform #48
Signed as a veteran free agent on October 13, 1987
Pats résumé: one season, one game; one reception for ten yards


Clayton Ford Pickering grew up near Akron, and initially stayed local, going to Wright State as a freshman. Then after a year at Daytona Beach Community College, 6'5" Pickering accepted a basketball scholarship at the University of Maine. He did not play football for the Black Bears until his senior year, and in 1984 the Cincinnati Bengals signed him as an undrafted rookie. Pickering spent most of 1984 and 1985 on injured reserve, getting into just four games with the Bengals. He played in four more games for the Chicago Bears in 1986, and was on the Dallas Cowboys roster in 1987 prior to the strike, but did not see any playing time.

Pickering joined the Patriots for the final strike/replacement player game in '87, with one catch for ten yards in a 21-7 victory over the Houston Oilers. The Pats re-signed him in May of 1988, but he was released - for the eighth and final time of his NFL career - on August 8, 1988.

Jeff Sturgeon scored 19 points and Clay Pickering and... - UPI Archives

Jeff Sturgeon scored 19 points and Clay Pickering and Jeff Cross added 17 each Saturday, enabling Maine to snap a nine-game losing streak with a 69-58 ECAC...

www.upi.com

NFL: Patriots sign Maine native Mulligan

A New York Jets jersey signed by Matt Mulligan hangs in the gymnasium at tiny Penobscot Valley High School in Howland, a tribute to the former Howler-turned-NFL player.

www.centralmaine.com

He is the third Maine native to play for the Patriots, joining Gardiner’s Dave Cloutier (1964) and Biddeford’s Dennis Gadbois (1987, 1988) and fourth former Black Bear — Cloutier, Brandon McGowan (2009-10) and Clay Pickering (one game in 1987).

PICKERING WANTS HOME ON BEARS

Clay Pickering has had to move 22 times during his life. That`s why Sunday, when he goes home to Cincinnati, he wants to find a home on the Bears . ''They`ve told me to know the plays and be sure I`m ready,'' said Pickering, an ex-Bengal and long-time Ohioan.

articles.chicagotribune.com

2:15 interview with UMaine basketball player Clay Pickering
​

Clay Pickering Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Clay Pickering Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Clay Pickering Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Clay Pickering. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Clay Pickering - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The Replacement Players​

The third week of the 1987 season was cancelled due to the players going on strike, but the owners had a plan in place for week four.

New England Patriots fans wait on line outside old Sullivan Stadium to return their tickets for refunds.​

The Pats lost their first replacement game to Cleveland by the score of 20-10.

Patriots fans wore bags over their heads as New England and Cleveland replacement teams played Oct. 4, 1987, at Sullivan Stadium.​

Game two went much better:

Mike LeBlanc gave the New England Patriots - replacement... - UPI Archives

Mike LeBlanc gave the New England Patriots - replacement players or regulars -- something the club has not had in quite a while: a running game....

www.upi.com

The Patriots, who last season became the first team in 20 years to average less than 3 yards a carry, accumulated 213 yards rushing Sunday as New England beat the Buffalo Bills 14-7.​

LeBlanc, recently released by Winnipeg of the CFL and signed by the Patriots as a replacement, gained 146 yards on 35 carries.​

While LeBlanc was running circles around the Bills before the smallest Sullivan Stadium crowd ever -- 11,878 rain-soaked fans - striking Patriots quietly walked the picket line.​

No incidents were reported on the New England picket line outside the stadium during the second week of demonstrations by striking NFL players at games played by replacement players.​

LeBlanc keyed a running attack that accumulated the most New England rushing yards since the final game of the 1985 season, the year in which the Patriots used a ground attack to reach the Super Bowl.​

By the third replacement game many of the regular players had crossed the picket line.

Foxboro Stadium History - 1987

After making the playoffs for two straight seasons, the Patriots missed out on the postseason in 1987. Inconsistency plagued the team, with their 8-7 record a clear reflection of their mediocre play.

www.patriots.com

After canceling one week of play, the league opted to continue with teams stocked with replacement players. Several Patriots, including Collins, Clayborn and Tippett, crossed the picket line and joined the motley crew assembled by general manager Patrick Sullivan. New England managed to win two of the three games played during the strike, including a memorable win against the Houston Oilers in the Astrodome.​

The Patriots had succeeded in acquiring former Boston College star quarterback Doug Flutie from the Chicago Bears during the strike for only an eighth-round draft choice. Flutie sparked New England to a 23-13 victory over Houston, completing 15-of-25 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Though Flutie’s acquisition had merely been intended as a stop-gap measure, his presence on the roster would spark a quarterback controversy that would last the better part of three years in Foxborough.​

Some of these articles are very lengthy, but they do give detailed facts (and interesting opinions) on the 1987 NFL strike.
Coincidentally or not, the public perceptions of 'good guys' such as Joe Montana, Howie Long, Doug Flutie, Raymond Clayborn and Andre Tippett completely remove any mention of the fact that they all crossed the picket lines, and in doing so they sided with the owners rather than with their fellow NFL players.

NFL replacements part of history

A whole generation of fans doesn't know about them, or why asterisks appear alongside their names on the 1987 NFL rosters. But to the replacements, it doesn't matter. They're part of history.

www.espn.com

"Those players kind of considered themselves a cult, almost," said Brandt, a former Cowboys exec who's now an analyst for NFL.com. "Four or five of them got together and bought a used car for 500 bucks so they had transportation. They were a self-reliant group is what they were. I think the hardest thing they had to do was find a coat and tie to wear on an away game when we went to play the Jets.​

"It was refreshing. There were so many interesting, refreshing things that happened that year."​

So many stories. Like the time receiver Cornell Burbage reached into the stands during a road game at New York, grabbed a package and placed it under the bench. It was a box of laundry Burbage's sister had washed for him. He couldn't afford to have his clothes cleaned at the hotel.​

On This Date in Sports October 4, 1987

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.comAfter the cancellation of Week 3 due to a player’s strike, the NFL season resumes with replacement players. The NFL Players’ Association were fighting fo...

www.barstoolsports.com

The replacement rosters were full of players who were cut in training camp and played in the USFL and CFL. Though cracks began forming in the union right away, as 15% of the NFL crossed the picket line to play with the scabs. Among the players who crossed the picket line were Howie Long of the Los Angeles Raiders, Tony Dorsett, and Randy White each from the Dallas Cowboys, Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets, Doug Flutie of the New England Patriots, Steve Largent of the Seattle Seahawks and Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers. Despite their presence, the fan reaction to the scab games was overwhelmingly negative as most games had less than 10,000 fans per game. Nowhere was the reaction worse than in Philadelphia where the Teamsters and fans joined the NFLPA on the picket line and drove around Veteran’s Stadium honking their horns, as less than 5,000 fans attended the Eagles game against the Chicago Bears.​

With some teams having players cross the picket lines and other teams being made up completely of replacement players some of the games were incredibly lopsided.​

Deadspin | The 1987 NFL Players Strike Created The Modern NFL

Deadspin | The 1987 NFL Players Strike Created The Modern NFL

deadspin.com

As the CBA talks broke down that year, a quote that to this day is widely attributed to Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm started making the rounds. “You guys are cattle and we’re the ranchers,” Schramm supposedly told NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw during a late-stage bargaining session in September 1987. “And ranchers can always get more cattle.”​

And that sentiment—that the players were fungible, disposable, and not entitled even to the modicum of agency they had—was impossible to miss. The explanation of the owners’ tactics was left to Hugh Culverhouse of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a notorious skinflint and historically negligent owner. On Culverhouse’s watch, the Bucs once lost at least 10 games in 12 consecutive seasons. He ran the Bucs on such a shoestring that players were reduced to grabbing lunch at a local fast-food drive-thru after taping up for practice. Yet when it came to replacing striking players with scabs, Culverhouse uttered a line that to this day remains the league’s failsafe when it wants assert its power over the players: “It’s in the best interests of protecting the integrity of the game.”​

So much of what’s happened since—from players’ inability to secure more guaranteed contracts to the league’s manipulation and denial of the science of brain trauma to the heavy-handedness of the league’s discipline—can be traced to the ’87 strike. It’s hard, drawing the line between then and now, not to view that time as the birth of the modern NFL.​

The strike that drained the last bit of innocence from the NFL

OAKLAND, Calif. — You want to know a genuinely underrated moment in the litany of awful moments to be a Jets fan? This one: the evening of Monday, Sept. 21, 1987. The Jets played the Patriots that …

nypost.com

In some ways, it is impossible to explain to folks too young to have cared in 1987 just how devastating the ’87 football strike was. There have been other work stoppages that crushed the masses’ sporting soul. The ’94 baseball strike was long and ugly. The NHL once lost an entire season to a lockout. The NBA has had shortened seasons to accommodate protracted lockouts. All of them bring their own share of collateral damage.​

None of them match what happened 30 years ago this month, though. For one thing, the solidarity that had marked prior strikes proved a sad joke in this one: fully 15 percent of the union membership would cross picket lines, including a number of high-profile players, including Lawrence Taylor, including Joe Montana.​

That would have been dispiriting enough.​

But the NFL’s owners, prepped for war, instituted something they called “replacement players,” something the rest of the world called “scab players,” and the images were awful: buses being attacked, players being egged and then, worst of all, the reality of scab football.​

Review of Three-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players Strike -- Sport in American History

Review of Three-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players’ Strike

Kluck, Ted. Three-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players’ Strike. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Pp. vii + 157. $25.00 hard cover. Reviewed by Kate Aguilar In August of 2000, …

ussporthistory.com

Chapter three provides insight from former NFL coach Les Steckel, who was an “offensive assistant” for the New England Patriots in 1987 (p. 40). Chapter four captures the experience of wide receiver Larry Linne, who signed on as a replacement player for the New England Patriots and was kept on for the entire season. Chapter five looks at the replacement play of the Los Angeles Rams, a team that welcomed now infamous West Coast rapper Marion “Suge” Knight to suit up.​

Through these perspectives and Kluck’s lively breakdown of the replacement games, the work shows how much the league has changed since 1987, impacted by 1980s conversations on labor and ownership, economics and play, branding and image, and health and safety. He reveals how by striking the players both lost and won.​

Replacements as a Labor Weapon -- Berkeley Law School

In Foxboro, New England Patriots fans were divided amongst strike supporters and ticket holders. Picketers shouted “Shame, shame, shame” while the game attendees shouted “Game, game, game.” Violence, however, was notably absent in Massachusetts.​

Owners knew that the fact that the games counted toward the playoff race meant having their superstars cross would give them a huge leg up on the competition (not to mention further break the back of the union). Some owners attempted to do more than simply ask nicely. For William Sullivan, Jr., the owner of the Patriots in 1987, the answer to his problems was to air his grievances directly by appealing to Lin Dawson with a heartfelt letter. The relevant portion of the long rambling letter was its conclusion. Sullivan stated, “I might say that I am not as proud of the Patriots as I once was. Indeed, I am ashamed of them and cannot wait the conclusion of this event to see if I can get someone else to buy the contracts of people who have acted in such an unfair manner.” Dawson, in responding to this perceived threat of future action, got upset and filed a complaint with the NLRB.​

Despite a near total loss on almost all counts of the action, the NLRB’s weak enforcement remedies arguably resulted in a win for the league.​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Bob Starr​

In memory of Bob Starr, who would have turned 93 today
Born June 2, 1933 in Kansas City, Missouri; grew up in Oklahoma
Died August 3, 1998 in Orange, California at the age of 65
Pats résumé: Patriot radio announcer on WBZ from 1966 - 1970

1969 Boston Patriots Media Guide

Nov 29, 1989:

Starr to Become Red Sox Announcer

WRKO radio has selected Bob Starr, play-by-play announcer for the Angels, to succeed Ken Coleman as the Red Sox principal radio broadcaster next season, according to John Carlson, another sports broadcaster at the station.

www.latimes.com

WRKO radio has selected Bob Starr, play-by-play announcer for the Angels, to succeed Ken Coleman as the Red Sox principal radio broadcaster next season, according to John Carlson, another broadcaster at the station.​

Starr's broadcasting career spans more than 30 years, including 18 years with major league baseball. Starr also did play-by-play announcing of the New England patriots and Boston College football from 1966 to 1970 on WBZ radio. part of that time was spent as sports anchor at WBZ-TV.​

Aug 4, 1998:

Broadcaster Bob Starr Dies at 65

Bob Starr, 65, the Angels' lead radio announcer until he retired in January because of poor health, died Monday at his home in Orange of lung fibrosis.

www.latimes.com

Starr, according to friends, never fully recovered from Legionnaires’ disease, which he contracted in the fall of 1993.​

When first stricken, Starr was hospitalized for 10 days and barely survived. Legionnaires’ disease, a lung infection, was so named because it killed 29 people who had attended an American Legion convention in a Philadelphia hotel in 1976. The disease is believed to be caused by dirty air-conditioning units.​

Tim Mead, longtime Angel publicist and now vice president of Disney’s Anaheim Sports division, remembered Starr as a man of grace and good cheer.​

“He was very kind and very gentle,” Mead said. “It was like he knew everybody, liked everybody and found the good things in everybody. He was as far from a self-promoter as anybody you’ll ever deal with.”​

Southern California's top all-time play-by-play voices; It's a who's who list of some of the best ever! - Sports Broadcast Journal

When the Dodgers arrived in LA, there were 16 MLB teams. The Dodgers made SoCal a Major League city. While the Rams were there, the NBA and NHL would follow as well as UCLA's dominant basketball teams. So here are the 16 all-time LA play-by-players.

www.sportsbroadcastjournal.com

Bob Starr​

Bob Costas couldn’t have said it more emphatically. Starr was the best radio football announcer he ever listened to and witnessed. “He would walk into the booth with minimal notes, a flip-card roster of the two teams and call a game almost perfectly.” Starr didn’t even need a spotter.​

July 11, 1976 article about Bob Starr from the St Louis Post-Dispatch

Bob Starr (sportscaster) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org